The World Association of Apples and Pears (WAPA) presented an update of the northern and southern hemisphere's apple and pear production forecast at the meeting it held on December 3.
According to their forecast, in the northern hemisphere, apple production in the United States will be stable at 4,644,000 tons (i.e. 6% less than last year), due to some adjustments by states and varieties.
US pear production will increase slightly, going from 525,000 tons to 529,000 tons, driven by the states of Oregon and Washington, as production in California is affected by lack of water.
According to the new forecast, the European Union will produce 11,878,000 tons of apples thanks to an increase in Poland (+130,000 tons, remaining at 4.3 million tons), Belgium (+48,000 tons), and Austria (+5,000 t), which will be offset by a decrease in Italy (-23,000 tons, to 2,023,000 tons), France (-12,000 tons, to 1,363,000 tons), and the Netherlands (-5,000 tons). The final data of the harvest in Italy will be available in 2 weeks, once all the harvesting has been done.
Europe's pear production is expected to increase to 1,665,000 tons (+61,000 tons) thanks to an increase in Belgium (+59,000 tons) and the Netherlands (+15,000 tons), which would be offset, among other things, by a further decline in Italy (-11,000 tons) and France (-1,000 tons). The Conference variety increased by 68,000 tons and the Abate variety decreased by 12,000 tons.
Wapa's update for the Southern Hemisphere would only have a minor variation in Brazil's apple production. The final forecast indicates 5,230,000 tons of apples and 1,346,000 tons of pears.
Source: simfruit.cl